Rocking Cowboy, cowboy rock

And Afroman at Revolution Room.

Friday offers an ironic setup in Little Rock club music, with New Orleans rock by Cowboy Mouth at Juanita’s and cowboy rock (if you will) with Jack Ingram at the Revolution Room.

Ingram has toured with such artists as Sheryl Crow and recorded with Charlie Robison and Willie Nelson. He went No. 1 with his single “Wherever You Are” and garnered the kudos of late country legend Waylon Jennings. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. and tickets are $12 in advance, $15 the day of show.

Crescent City band Cowboy Mouth is a bit more rock ’n’ roll and offers the over-the-top kind of fun you might expect from Louisiana natives. The group’s new album, “Voodoo Shop,” was started in New Orleans and finished in Atlanta after Hurricane Katrina hit. Most of the songs are just fun, and one or two are testaments to their hometown and the devastation of Katrina. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets are $16 in advance, $18 the day of show.

Another band from New Orleans visits Little Rock on Friday as well: the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, appearing at Sticky Fingerz. With a new album that is a reinterpretation of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and a dedication to the chaos of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina through the use of (what else?) brass, the Dirty Dozen offers a less-vocal-driven but still-powerful performance.

The show starts at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

On Saturday the party is getting started with Afroman at the Revolution Room. I seriously doubt he needs any introduction, but for the uninitiated, his 2001 hit “Because I Got High” should bring it all back into focus. In early 2006 he claimed he had given up his heathen ways (woman, drugs, alcohol, etc.) and found Jesus. He then stated he was going to be the best alcoholic, woman-chasing, smoking Christian there ever was. Check him out at 8:30 p.m. for $10.

Coming from Batesville, Little Rock and Conway, it’s pure metal followed by an alt rock tour de force, with a slight undercurrent of new wave vibe. Put on your best dresses (and/or most ripped jeans), tightest fighting suits (or blackest T-shirt and dog collar), angstiest (or angriest) vibes and head to Vino’s at 8 p.m. on Friday. Tickets are $7. Saturday the music is free from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and is $7 after 6 p.m.

Local act Josh the Devil and the Sinners get the weekend music momentum going in Little Rock on Thursday at the White Water Tavern.

Self-described as “Trashabilly,” Josh the Devil and the Sinners and I have a historic love-hate relationship. Semi-dedicated to wanting to like it, I still have walked out of two of the group’s shows. In description they are “known for their vulgar, tasteless, yet humorous style of rock.” Vulgar, yes. Tasteless, sure. Humorous … well.

I admit a penchant for the rockabilly scene. Its spectacle is, if anything, an interesting anthropological study and the beats, though forced to the extreme in the psychobilly genre, are relentless and usually timeless. What Josh the Devil misses is a real feel for the roots of psychobilly and their often adolescent humor just doesn’t hit home (no, I don’t want anything done to any part of my body … so gently. Thanks.) Nevertheless, I don’t mind giving them another chance, in hopes that they’ve matured.

An update on their myspace website reports a rearrangement of band members to try and step away from the punk genre, so perhaps we can expect a better mix because of it. Here’s hoping at White Water on Thursday at 10 p.m. Admission is $5.

See three local hip-hop bands in three days starting with Tha Rock Underground Hip-Hop Show (Mob Kra-z Kuhpeish, 607, and Tho’d Studio) at Juanita’s on Monday and Natural State Killaz on Tuesday followed by a Conduit Fam show at Sticky Fingerz on Wednesday.

All the bands carry respectably weighty reputations. 607, massively prolific and formerly of the Traumah Team, presents himself as the answer to the anti-industry masses. He and others will play Juanita’s on Monday at 9 p.m. for $5. Conduit Fam, on the other hand, may be anti-industry but their smooth, seductive beat will keep your mind occupied elsewhere. Featuring Suga City (Arkansas Bo and Goines), DK and Epiphany, they will play Sticky Fingerz on Wednesday at 9 p.m. for $5. Natural State Killaz will play Juanita’s on Tuesday at 9 p.m. for $5.

Others to see: Check out Elvis Perkins on Tuesday at the Rev Room. From Providence, R.I., Perkins and his folksy, troubadouresque style and rather refined lilt will soothe you after the cold water shock of the start of the work week … On Tuesday at White Water Tavern, there is good alt rock with Three Fantastic, Zelazowa and Ghost Legs … Also on Tuesday, a show in the strangest (and most appropriate) locale, The Treehouse (at its new location at 109 S. Cedar), the Mathematicians from New York will play along with Black Ethan, the Crunkettes and others. A little Magnetic Fields, a little Cure, the Mathematicians look like the model band for “Revenge of the Nerds.” If the live show is at all comparable to their recorded work, it promises to be a good equation. The free show (donations accepted) will be preceded by a potluck at 6 p.m.

Momma Dean's, in Fayetteville, is good for the soul.

Most Shared

Next week a series of meetings on the use of technology to tackle global problems will be held in Little Rock by Club de Madrid — a coalition of more than 100 former democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world — and the P80 Group, a coalition of large public pension and sovereign wealth funds founded by Prince Charles to combat climate change. The conference will discuss deploying existing technologies to increase access to food, water, energy, clean environment, and medical care.

Plus, recipes from the Times staff.

Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Conway) was on "Capitol View" on KARK, Channel 4, this morning, and among other things that will likely inspire you to yell at your computer screen, he said he expects someone in the legislature to file a bill to do ... something about changing the name of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport.

So fed up was young Edgar Welch of Salisbury, N.C., that Hillary Clinton was getting away with running a child-sex ring that he grabbed a couple of guns last Sunday, drove 360 miles to the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington, D.C., where Clinton was supposed to be holding the kids as sex slaves, and fired his AR-15 into the floor to clear the joint of pizza cravers and conduct his own investigation of the pedophilia syndicate of the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state.

There is almost nothing real about "reality TV." All but the dullest viewers understand that the dramatic twists and turns on shows like "The Bachelor" or "Celebrity Apprentice" are scripted in advance. More or less like professional wrestling, Donald Trump's previous claim to fame.

Haynes’ blues group Govt. Mule, Little River Band, Honeytribe are in town.

Country rockers try to replicate their Lone Star state success.

Local rap collective Conduit celebrates the release of its latest compilation album, “Theme Muzik,” with an expanded version of its regular concert series “The Chill” at the Revolution Music Room on Friday.

Event Calendar

Most Viewed

Before Pearls breaks its brief silent treatment about Razorback basketball's latest bid to shake off listless irrelevance, we'll spend a word or two on the Belk Bowl, where the football team draws a Dec. 29 matchup with Virginia Tech in Charlotte.